RBIL aims to expand our focus on rural innovation businesses in agriculture, Ag tech, sustainability, construction, waste management, water reclamation, workforce development, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our current industry focuses on accelerating and building resilience within the natural resource and new climate economy value-chain.

RBIL has four main objectives:

RBIL supports entrepreneurs from all backgrounds, addressing unique challenges faced by BIPOC, women, veterans, and LGBTQ+ individuals in rural Minnesota and Wisconsin. The aim is to provide equal access and promote culturally relevant business practices.

The 2025 Rural Business Innovation Lab cohort consists of the following entities:

Impacks

Waite Park, MN

Impacks is a tech-powered business that simplifies back-to-school shopping for parents, teachers, and school administrators. They’re based out of St. Cloud, Minnesota, and they serve schools across the country. They’re rooted in a social-impact methodology, and they focus on making school supplies more accessible for families.

Ty’s Ginseng

Morristown, MN

At Ty’s Ginseng, we’re proud to be a small, family-owned business, where every customer has the opportunity to interact directly with the owner. My family and I grow ginseng in southern Minnesota and our Minnesota weather creates the perfect conditions for ginseng to grow in our woods. We take great pride in our roots to make sure that you get only the best quality woods grown ginseng.

Oh, Beehave!  Goods

Hudson, WI

Minnesota-based Oh, Beehave! Goods was founded in 2020 by Tavia Trulson, an environmental educator and herbalist with a passion for regenerative agriculture. Her body care line features beeswax-based balms, deodorants, and lip care made with organic, sustainably sourced ingredients from local partners.

More than a trend, Oh, Beehave! represents a return to what’s real: natural, potent skincare that nourishes the body and the planet. Every balm is a step toward climate resilience, pollinator preservation, and conscious connection to the earth.

Carlson Roasting Company

Houston, MN

Carlson Roasting Company is passionate about quality hand crafted coffee. They buy Fair Trade and Organic coffees from around the world and roast them in small batches with attention to detail that brings out the potential of each batch. Coffee is a crop and changes in quality over time, so what they offer will change over time as quality from each origin and farm changes with each harvest.

Prairie PROducers, LLC

Olivia, MN

Prairie PROducers is an industrial hemp fiber producer/processor located in Olivia, MN. Olivia, the Renville County seat, is known for its farm yields and innovations in agriculture. Licensed with the State of Minnesota, Prairie PROducers offers opportunities for growers looking to diversify their crop in the face of a changing, global market and solutions for manufacturers seeking to reduce their reliance on petroleum-based plastics.

American Hazelnut Company

Gays Mills, WI

American Hazelnut Company is a grower-owned business dedicated to building a sustainable Midwest hazelnut industry. Rooted in a vision of restoring native ecosystems and promoting climate-friendly agriculture, the company sources hazelnuts from small farms across the Upper Midwest, transforming them into high-quality products like hazelnut oil, roasted nuts, flour, and snacks. 

Clear View Regenerative Farms & Services

Altura, MN

Clear View offers agricultural support and laboratory services that support the regeneration of healthy ecosystems throughout the upper midwest. CVRFS is an active participant and practitioner in the nascent field of soil ecology and the Soil Food Web Community. They can also provide support services in transition to organics and any associated documentation.

Salt of the North

Northfield, MN

Salt of the North is a natural dye line grown at Get Bentz Farm in Northfield, Minnesota, by Maddy Bartsch, a farmer, art educator, and advocate for local textile economies. Rooted in the belief that sustainable agriculture and textiles are deeply connected, Maddy cultivates dye plants while fostering community through education and hands-on workshops. Their work supports a decentralized, environmentally responsible textile system in the Midwest, bringing people together through the art and science of natural dyes.

Tortilleria Zepeda

Lone Rock, WI

After recognizing a serious lack of authentic Mexican corn tortillas,
Julian and Heidi Zepeda decided to open their own tortilleria in Lone Rock, WI. Using techniques taught to Julian by his family as well as Mexico’s leading tortilleros, the Zepeda’s have perfected the pre-Hispanic nixtamalization process to create the most authentic Mexican corn tortilla. They use only locally sourced Wisconsin organic corn and personally know each farmer, which makes an impact on our local food system.

Small Town Vibes

Hutchinson, MN

Talent Tourism flips the traditional script to give your community home field advantage. We identify prospective talent and bring them to your turf where you can make the most effective pitch possible. Pictures and posts are great, but people seal the deal. 

Sweet Haven Tonics

New Ulm, MN

Sweet Haven Tonics creates elegant cocktail concentrates and mixing kits with sustainable, natural ingredients. They offer a dazzling array of cocktail concentrates, along with video tutorials and recipes that can help you be just as good as your bartender. They also have a beautiful cocktail lounge on site with a wide variety of events each year.

Woollets

Argyle, WI

Woollets was founded by women who had a vision of a healthier planet.  Seeking a way to help the sheep industry with the vast amounts of unused wool as well as trying to find a sustainable alternative to peat, they divert a waste product from landfills, repurposing it to renew soil without microplastics. Based in Argyle, Wisconsin, Woollets™ sources raw wool from local sheep farms, paying a fair price, then heat pelletizes the wool to create Woollets™ wool pellets for the home and garden.

The cohort’s formation was a natural outcome, with applicants chosen based on their alignment with program goals and their potential for growth and innovation. 

CEDA’s Rural Business Innovation Lab is committed to supporting rural entrepreneurs and fostering economic growth. With a focus on sustainability, climate change mitigation, and operational scalability, the program sets the stage for the participating businesses and nonprofits to thrive and make a lasting impact in their communities.

The Rural Business Innovation Lab is supported by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and Compeer Financial.